Evelyn

  ***

  Walking through the city, I couldn’t help but notice how empty the streets are. On occasions I would see a bck cart carrying coffins, both rge and small… In the distance there were bells. From every church and temple in the city funeral bells sound out. I know that I saved many lives, but still, many were lost…

  “38 in the window.” Angelica said.

  “Got it.” I replied.

  Looking up, I saw a familiar house. Well, it was too big to be called a house. More like a mansion, although this one was cking many features you would expect to see on one from Earth, like a pool. That’s fine since I still can’t swim, and I doubt anyone in Charlotte’s family cares for that activity either. Also! I’ve actually been practicing! If I’m sitting still, I can hold my breath for just about six minutes! Once I learn how not to sink straight to the bottom I bet I’ll be really good at it!

  “Looks like the others are already here.” Angelica said.

  “Last to arrive again I see.” I suppressed a sigh.

  Although I wanted to say that I kept a cheerful face on, in the current atmosphere, it might look out of pce. So I used my “polite” smile upon reaching the gate.

  ““Lady Eytell.”” The guards respectfully stood at attention.

  “Thank you for your hard work.” I lightly bowed to them.

  These guys always look out for me, and they don’t get mad when I show up unannounced without a carriage or guards. Charlotte, however, is another matter.

  “Evelyn!” Charlotte shouted, as her front doors were opened dramatically by servants.

  “Hi hi!” I waved to her with both hands.

  “Get in here right now!” She said.

  Dang. Acting cute didn’t work. Alright, let’s try pn B.

  “I brought cupcakes!” I said, holding up my magical bag full of bribes for moments just like this.

  “Not this time!” She said. “You’re not getting off that easily!”

  Mission failed. We’ll get ‘em next time. Seeing my shoulders slump, I thought I could see a slight smile come from the gate guards. Oh well. If my crisis brings joy to others in this trying time, then so be it. It’s the job of a Magical Girl after all! That being said, I hope I’m not going to be scolded by the whole family again.

  …

  So, after once more being scolded by the whole family, as well as my friends, I found myself in a familiar lounge with tea and the cupcakes that I brought. Unfortunately these weren’t from Nissia’s family’s pce, but rather from my estate’s staff. Having bought a copy of the recipe with a promise not to sell them, we were able to reproduce them for personal use. Anyways, now being able to rex, I took the opportunity to stretch out and y on the couch.

  “Really, to think I used to be scared of you…” Nicole said, amazed.

  “Did you really?” I asked. I don’t think that I was very scary at all.

  “Not to be rude, but when we first met, you had the look of death on your face.” Olivia said. “You looked like you were one move away from ying a curse on someone.”

  “To make things worse, you weren’t just any noble but a duchess.” Chloe said.

  “True.” Charlotte nodded.

  “You too?” I asked.

  “Yeah, you looked like a cackling witch.” Amber said, happily having a cupcake.

  “Really!?” I asked.

  Sometimes I hate childish honesty. It hurts in the most unexpected ways. Did I really look that bad?

  “I was thinking to myself, ‘are all duchesses like this?’” Charlotte said.

  “Only this one.” 38 said, appearing next to me and poking my cheek.

  “It could only be this one.” Nicole nodded.

  “Yep.” Chloe agreed.

  “Evelyn is one of a kind.” Olivia confirmed.

  “Thanks for that.” I had no choice but to concede.

  Ah yes, 38. Why is she out in the open and dissing me? Isn’t she supposed to be hidden as like a secret protector? Yeah well funny thing about that. As it turns out, you have to make yourself known to the person you’re protecting as well as her friends and family or else you just look like a kidnapper. Didn’t she and other Shadows appear during the survival css? Yes, but at the time they were just brushed off as the Twin Regent’s guards And it's not like anyone got a clear view of them anyways.

  Still though, despite being a secret guard from the Regents, things were a bit tense. So I was asked to come out and tell them that 38 was trustworthy and that she had guarded me in the past. Upon hearing that, Charlotte immediately apologized for having to deal with my shenanigans. And so, a bond was born at my expense.

  “I would really appreciate it if you didn’t diss me at the drop of a hat.” I said, cheek still being poked.

  “Try thinking about that the next time you jump out of a window.” Charlotte said.

  “Was she always like this?” Olivia couldn’t help but ask.

  “She is a lot calmer than what she used to be.” 38 said.

  “We really don’t need to do this right now.” I said.

  “I guess we can say that she had her rebellious stage early.” 38 said.

  “Rebelling against what?” Nicole asked.

  “Society.” Amber said between bites.

  “You’re just saying that because you can’t bite people you don’t like.” Charlotte sighed.

  “We’re in this together!” I said, raising my fist.

  “Sister!” Amber did the same.

  “Don’t encourage her.” Charlotte once more sighed.

  Letting my hand down, I closed my eyes and 38 continued her merciless attacks. After all of the recent work, I really deserved this break…

  “The Regent's carriage is approaching.” Angelica said. “19 is entering the premises.”

  Abruptly sitting up, I looked out the window. It can’t be…

  “Hm?” Chloe looked at me confused. “What’s wrong?”

  Through my limited view, I saw a finely decorated carriage stop in front of the gates. It’s a trap! Jumping off the couch, I sprinted towards the door.

  “Hey-” 38 quickly picked me up. “Not so fast. What’s the problem?”

  “I need to-” I started.

  “Oh Evelyn, what an amazing coincidence.” 19 suddenly appeared in the doorway.

  The maid who was standing at attention by the door was startled, though managed to keep her composure.

  “I’ve been had!” I compined.

  “One of your friends?” Charlotte asked cautiously, not quite sure of what to make of this situation.

  “Easy now.” 19 patted my head. “The Young Lord’s business is with the Saint today.”

  ““Ah!?”” Both me and Charlotte were armed.

  They aren’t here for me? Well, that's a relief. Or not.

  “Why do they want to talk to me?!” Charlotte questioned.

  Although she asked that, that question wasn’t really aimed at anyone. Rather she seemed to be questioning life instead. Okay, it looks like she’s going to need the support.

  “Well, it must be urgent.” I said, still being carried. “From the looks of things, they didn’t even make an appointment.”

  “I don’t know a single noble who would arrive at someone’s house unannounced.” 38 looked at me.

  “Point taken.” I said.

  Being put down, I headed back to the couch, this time sitting more elegantly.

  “Alright, well it looks like we can’t escape this.” I said. “So, what’s the pn?”

  “I don’t even know what they want.” Charlotte said.

  “Maybe they just want to pay their respects to the Saint?” Olivia suggested.

  “If they want to respect anyone it should be Melody.” Charlotte said, troubled.

  “They should.” Chloe said, with everyone nodding in agreement.

  Again, it feels weird to have my friends praise me even if they don’t know it. Even though I failed in saving lives, I was still regarded as a hero. Of course some people questioned why I didn’t come sooner, but news had since reached here about a dragon also appearing in the Alterrai Kingdom. Most people just accepted that it couldn’t be helped, but I still had complicated feelings about it.

  “If they ask you to do something, just say no.” I said.

  “Can I?” She questioned.

  “You’re the Saint. The Church will back you up.” I said.

  “And we’ve got your back!” Nicole said.

  “Within reason!” Olivia added.

  “At least emotionally!” Chloe said.

  “Thanks for the help.” Charlotte didn’t seem too appreciative.

  “If they do anything weird, I’ll tell their parents.” I said.

  “Can you really do that?” She asked.

  “Absolutely.” I nodded.

  “Duchesses sure are something else.” Chloe said.

  “Agreed…” Olivia nodded.

  That’s right, praise me! Within reason! Sharing a little ugh, we waited for the inevitable. Given that we were already in the parlor, and that Charlotte’s parents were in no position to refuse the two, eventually they had arrived.

  Entering, with 19 having already returned to their side, Lloyd and Lna entered. Although they had arrived unannounced, they were higher ranks than us, so we stood to greet them.

  ““““““Lord Regents.”””””” We bowed deeply.

  “Forgive us for the intrusion.” Lloyd said.

  “Thank you for the warm welcome.” Lna returned a light bow of her own.

  Waiting for them to be seated first, we took our seats. Already having tea for ourselves, maids served them drinks as well as some snacks. Not the cupcakes. We already had our share and I already promised the remaining ones to the staff here, so there were none left to share. That being said, the cooks of Charlotte’s household weren’t cking in skill and already prepared some yummy snacks for them. We all took part in them since after all, girls do have a second stomach for sweets. Also, as a Magical Girl, I have four stomachs despite the fact that I don’t need to eat, but let’s not worry about that. Anyways, after having a quick sip of tea, Lloyd started off our conversation.

  “School is going to be canceled for the rest of the year.” Lloyd said.

  “…” Silently we nodded.

  That much was expected. Although official numbers haven't been released, from my own estimate, around twenty-three percent of the student popution was killed, with even more teachers. Not only that, but some bodies couldn’t be recovered, even with my magic. People like the Headmaster who were in the direct path of the attack were unable to be accounted for. Still, given the fact that it was a dragon attack, we’re lucky that the whole city wasn’t lost.

  “Although Melody managed to save us this time, what would have happened if she hadn’t arrived when she did?” He asked.

  I've been wondering about that myself. In that short amount of time, I could have lost some if not all of my friends. I seriously need to thank the Shadows again for their efforts. Then again, it would be best if I could just remove them from the danger zone entirely…

  “As such, I want to ask you to help the capital- no, The Empire as a whole.” He said, looking Charlotte in the eyes.

  “Um… That…” She trailed off.

  With him so intently focused on her, she couldn’t help but blush. No, don’t be flustered by him, this guy is weird! With her eyes quickly darting around the room, I decided that maybe she needed some help.

  “And what exactly do you expect her to do?” I asked, bringing the attention to myself.

  “Well, she is the Saint.” Lloyd said, turning to me.

  “Originally she was supposed to be training to go out and defeat the Demon Lord.” Lna added.

  “Yes, but things aren’t exactly the same now, are they?” I asked. “For better or worse, because of Melody, kingdoms haven’t exactly been open to supporting her when she was announced as the Saint. Even inside The Empire, she hasn’t had much in the way of support unless you include marriage offers.”

  “Well, things are different now.” Lloyd said. “We’ve got a team.”

  ““A team?”” Charlotte and I asked.

  It wasn’t just Charlotte and I who questioned that. Our friends and her sister aside, even the maid at the door gave them a questioning look. Wait, is she supposed to hear this? Well, no one said anything about her, so it should be fine.

  “Well, it’s a bit complicated…” Lna ughed, turning away.

  Are they talking about the so-called Saint Squad? Those girls haven’t really done much in the way of training. Well, that’s not exactly true. They do morning exercises, but that’s about it. Early morning jogs don’t exactly transte to fighting demons.

  “What exactly is this team?” Charlotte couldn’t help but ask.

  “To put it simply, they’re more Saints.” Lloyd said.

  “I see…” Charlotte nodded.

  Wow, she’s taking this much better than- wait no. I know that look on her face. It’s the one she uses when she’s listening to an idiot. Yeah, no big surprise there. After all, according to the Goddess herself, there is only one Saint at any one time. Yeah it would make sense that she may have a backup or two, but according to some, that belief is bsphemous. After all, the Goddess made the Saint with the intention to succeed. Not believing in the Saint is the same as not believing the Goddess. Or thinking that the Goddess is fwed. Both of those beliefs can nd you jail time. Especially here in The Empire, given one of the main Church branches is here. Knowing a couple of Goddesses myself however, I know that gods are very fwed.

  Putting aside those insurance scams that a certain someone is still doing, you only need to look at Zeus and yeah. Also, I know that they aren't here but just to make sure that I won’t be suddenly struck by lightning, Zeus is probably the coolest and strongest god alongside Ra and the Great Dreamer. Which Great dreamer? Don’t worry about it. Unless that Great Dreamer is you, in that case I’m talking about you. But enough of that, let’s push back on their pn just a bit. After all, it’s not like they did anything to help Charlotte. Let’s use that against them.

  “So, what you’re saying is that there are multiple Saints, and The Empire neglected to support any of them.” I started. “Or if they did, they mistakenly or purposefully didn’t support the one picked by the Goddess herself or announced by the Church?”

  “Well…” Lloyd looked a bit uncomfortable.

  “When you put it that way…” Lna muttered.

  I know that it is mostly my fault for The Empire not supporting the Saint, but still! I’m not going to let you drag my friend into whatever scheme they have pnned! Also sorry Alyssa and Orson for making your family look bad in front of my friends!

  “Are there really other Saints?” Nicole spoke up and asked.

  “There can’t be.” Olivia said. “The Church would have said something by now.”

  “Well, they aren’t full on Saints, but more like Saint candidates.” Lloyd said.

  ““…”” Chloe and Olivia exchanged a doubtful gnce.

  “You’re blowing it…!” Lna quietly said, pretending to sip her tea.

  It was so quiet that I’m not certain that Lloyd even heard it.

  “If you already have other Saints, why bother with Charlotte?” I asked.

  “That’s because she’s the most powerful of all of them.” Lloyd said.

  “…” Charlotte didn’t do well in hiding her horror.

  They really aren’t doing themselves any favors.

  “…” I hesitated. “Why not just rely on Melody?”

  After all, everyone else does already.

  “Melody is just one girl.” Ln spoke up. “We can’t just let her deal with everything all on her own.”

  Oh no, they are onto something.

  “Great point.” I said. “However, she can reliably defeat a Demon General with a single attack, as well as that flying… thing. How exactly will this help her?”

  “Well-” She hesitated. “We can um… uh…”

  “That’s true.” Nicole said. “Even if these ‘Saints’ go out and beat small demons, wouldn’t we just get in the way of the army?”

  “Not only that, but what about when school starts back up?” Chloe asked.

  “Also, only when the Saint reaches the age of sixteen does she head out to fight demons. And that is with years of training.” Olivia said.

  “Well, we’ve got years to train.” Lloyd pointed out.

  “Another thing.” I said. “What if she doesn’t want to?”

  “Eh?” Charlotte looked at me shocked.

  Not now! You’re blowing it!

  “What do you mean?” Lloyd asked, surprised.

  “You just said that you have other Saints. Enough for a team.” I said. “Assuming that everyone you’re talking about is willing to do this, is it really a problem if she doesn’t join this team?”

  “O-of course it would be a problem.” Lloyd said. “She’s the Saint.”

  “So you’re not asking her to join this ‘team’ you’re telling her to?” I asked.

  “Well no I’m…” He seemed to be conflicted.

  I gnced at Charlotte and she seemed to understand where I was heading with this.

  “Well, do you have any sort of a pn?” She asked.

  “We pnned on starting with training.” Lna said.

  “So, what we’ve been doing in school?” I asked.

  “A more intense version of it.” Lloyd nodded.

  “And where would this training take pce?” Olivia asked.

  “In the Imperial Pace.” Lloyd said.

  “Um… I don’t think-” Charlotte started.

  “Don’t worry, we can have a carriage pick you up.” Lna said.

  I gnced at my friends. Each one of them was staring in silent amazement. It would be considered a great honor to ride in the Regent’s carriage just once. Imagine doing so regurly… You would certainly be the talk of the town. Gncing at Charlotte, I saw that she was a bit stunned. Okay, let’s py it safe and end this topic for today.

  “Well, that certainly is an offer.” I said. “Especially since we don’t know the specifics of this pn you have.”

  “It is a work in progress if I’m being honest.” He said.

  “Unless you have a solid pn I can’t say that anyone would or even should accept your… ‘offer.’” I said.

  “I… see your point.” He admitted defeat.

  Victory! Celebrating silently in my head, I kept my calm facade and had some tea… This stuff hasn’t been tampered with, has it? Very carefully I bit my tongue and- Huh? Nothing happened? What gives!? My teeth are super sharp they should-

  …

  Okay, you know what? This one is on me. Looks like I’ve got to find another way to hurt myself… Okay, that sounded bad. Let’s just break a finger. That’ll work. Putting down my tea cup, I pced my hands in my p. From this angle, no one should be able to see it because of the table. One and two and-

  “Ahem.” I cleared my throat.

  Ring finger on my left hand, very thoroughly broken, I raised my right hand to cover my mouth.

  “Excuse me.” I said as my Magical Girl powers fixed my finger.

  Just to be sure that no one would see anything, I used my dark magic to darken the shadows on my hand. Good news is that I’m not being deceived, bad news is that my hand hurts. Maybe I need a different method for future situations…

  Grayburne